Fremantle fights for top-four spot

AFL correspondent in Western Australia

Freo is ready to fight for a top-four finish this weekend. Photo: Getty Images

Six-day breaks and Fremantle haven't been the best of friends this season.

On Saturday afternoon at Patersons Stadium, Freo face a match following their seventh short break of the season with a huge reward waiting for them if they can buck the concerning trend. A spot in the top four.

While Ross Lyon believes the past doesn't count, it can't be ignored that the Dockers have won only one of six games this season when they have had only six days to prepare between contests.

However, of those five losses, only one was at Fremantle's home ground – in round six when North Melbourne ventured west and finished stronger than the Dockers to win by 13 points.

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Lyon's lads had lost to Sydney at the SCG by 17 points six days earlier. North was also on the rebound after losing to Collingwood the week before and was also coming off a six day break.

The Dockers are a "no excuses football club", however, not helping their cause against North was the fact that Hayden Ballanyne missed the game because of suspension and Michael Barlow was returning after missing four rounds with a knee injury.

The Dockers have also lost to Hawthorn (58 points in round 3), Sydney (17 points in round 5), Port Adelaide (18 points in round 8) and St Kilda (58 points in round 18) all away from home this season and all coming off six day breaks.

Their one success under the same conditions was in round 13 when they beat Richmond by 20 points at the MCG on the Saturday afternoon of round 13, after beating Adelaide in Perth on the previous Sunday afternoon.

But as far as Lyon is concerned, it's all irrelevant to Saturday's game against the Power at Patersons Stadium.

"It would be (relevant) if the past counted," he said. "But I've got a strong philosophy that the past is irrelevant.

"It's what you do today and tomorrow that counts. I wouldn't have thought it's a concern, no."

Despite a few personnel issues, Lyon appears pretty upbeat about his chances of knocking off the Power and earning the double chance in the finals.

On Wednesday, he all but ruled Barlow out of this game because of a hand injury, but the talented midfielder has been named for a return, as has captain Matthew Pavlich who was a late withdrawal from last week's win over Brisbane at the Gabba because of a sore quad.

Nat Fyfe still has one week to serve of his two week suspension and key defender Luke McPharlin will miss his third consecutive game due to a calf injury – and his ninth game since round 7.

Add to that, Michael Walters will play just his third game after a 16-week lay-off due to ankle surgery.

But Lyon has every confidence his side can get the job done, although he wouldn't admit that it could be because history shows that the Dockers have won four of their past five against the Power and the past four games between the two in Perth – because those results are in the past.

"We're a pretty handy running team," he said.

"I think we've been the best fourth quarter team, second half team for a while now. And I think we're the sixth best starting. So I think we're a handy team ourselves.

"I focus on us, not too much the opposition. We'll throw some challenges at Port."

Lyon also expects the circumstances behind Saturday's game – being an elimination final for a top four spot - to have no influence on the performance of his players.

He said the pressure of AFL football exists each week and not just at the end of the season.

"They deal with it every week. They're conditioned to it," he said. "It's not like we just rolled up to round 23 and all of a sudden you've got a cut-throat match. We're under pressure every week.

"Obviously the outcome's really sharp because it's the end of the practice period really isn't it? You're trying to get a grid position.

"You got to take the anxiety and the stress, otherwise you sit down the lower reaches of the ladder or happy to be average and normal. That's certainly not what we're about and clearly that's not what Port's about."

So, the scenario for Fremantle is simple – lose to Port and they lose fourth spot and the double chance. Remember, no team has won the flag under the current final eight format, but those results too are in the past.

2 comments so far

Good luck Freo, for the weekend and your September campaign. My team plays it's last game this weekend, then you become my finals team. A beautiful September ahead, no Collingwood. The gods are smiling! Go Freo!!!

Commenter

Nobby

Location

Vietnam

Date and time

August 30, 2014, 9:51AM

I think it is disgusting that with such a pivotal game in the season, especially for a local team, 7 Perth thinks that broadcasting it with a 2 hour delay is appropriate.

I understand that the deal that they negotiated with Foxtel is not in the best interests of FTA viewers, and I know that local matches are usually delayed, but 7 agreed with the AFL that local games would be 'live or near live'. 2 hours is nowhere near live. they may as well not broadcast it at all.

I believe this is the 8th game this season that has been broadcast into Perth with a 2 hour delay, and it is the only one involving a local team.

this is not good enough and I don't know how it managed to get passed the anti-siphoning laws